The U.S. Forest Service is issuing $182 million in retroactive Secure Rural Schools payments for 2024 to eligible states and counties that contain National Forest System lands, after reconciling amounts owed under the program following reauthorization, the U.S. Forest Service announced.
The agency said the 2024 payments include Title I and Title III allocations for education, transportation infrastructure, and other community services in rural areas. It also said the funds can support wildfire readiness through Firewise Communities programs, reimbursement to counties for emergency services on national forests, and development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans.
The Forest Service said it initially issued 2024 payments under the 1908 revenue-sharing framework because Secure Rural Schools had not yet been reauthorized when those payments went out, and it is now adjusting the amounts to match the program’s requirements.
Under the 1908 framework, the Forest Service shares 25% of its revenue, including from timber sales, mineral leases, livestock grazing, and recreation fees, with states and counties that contain national forests. The Congress enacted the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 after declines in timber revenue reduced those payments.
Over the past decade, the Forest Service has distributed $2.6 billion through the Secure Rural Schools program.